Three female fugitives wanted in New Jersey restaurant theft arrested in Illinois

CHICAGO — Illinois State Police (ISP) officials have announced the arrest of three female fugitives wanted in connection with a theft that occurred in a New Jersey restaurant earlier this year.

The three subjects — Ljuba Petrov, 42, of Lincolnwood, Illinois, Biserka Petrov, 32, also of Lincolnwood, and Linda Martinov, 56, of Park Ridge, Illinois — are accused of participating in the theft, which netted the group approximately $18,000 in cash.

Sept. 27, 2014, the offenders entered a Chinese restaurant in Folsom, New Jersey, and distracted its owners while accomplices stole the owner’s purse, which contained the cash deposits for the restaurant. The offenders then fled the scene in two separate vehicles.

The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) was able to identify the subjects as being from the Chicago area and obtained warrants with nationwide extradition for their arrests. The NJSP later contacted the ISP Ruse Burglary Task Force and requested assistance in apprehending the offenders.

Dec. 18, 2014, agents from the ISP Ruse Burglary Task Force, along with officers from the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force, Park Ridge Police Department and Lincolnwood Police Department located and arrested the three female subjects without incident. Two of the subjects were located in Park Ridge, and the other one in Lincolnwood.

“The successful arrest of these three subjects underscores the importance of good collaboration between law enforcement agencies,” said ISP Director Hiram Grau. “The sharing of information and resources is key during any investigation, especially those involving multiple jurisdictions.”

The three female subjects were transported to a Chicago Police Department lockup, and held pending their extradition to New Jersey.